São Paulo favela backs Vasco’s Cauan Barros as Pankararus rally | OneFootball

In Real Parque, a favela by the Marginal Pinheiros in São Paulo, Pankararus will unite behind Vasco midfielder Cauan Barros as the club begins its Copa do Brasil final against Corinthians on Wednesday.

According to Globo.com, the community hosts hundreds from Barros’s ethnicity, with about 190 Pankararu families across the city, most in Real Parque, long nicknamed Favela da Mandioca. The outlet visited on Tuesday, the eve of the first match.

Cousin Edcarlos Pereira do Nascimento, known as Carlinhos, guided the visit and said he has not seen Barros for a while after failing to enter Morumbis when Vasco thrashed Santos. He said Barros showcases indigenous potential, fights for chances and represents their culture, so many cheer from their screens.

The Pankararus began leaving their demarcated land between Tacaratu and Petrolândia in the early 1940s, fleeing conflicts and seeking work. Many built São Paulo, including the Palácio dos Bandeirantes and Morumbis, where Barros netted his first professional goal in 2023 in a 4-2 loss to São Paulo.

Urban yet rooted, Real Parque’s Pankararus live in houses and flats while keeping rituals. Carlinhos wore a headdress as his eldest fetched a maracá. At Maria Lídia da Silva’s home, a Praiá welcomes visitors and she also works as a health agent.

Clarice Pankararu, president of the Associação SOS Comunidade Indígena Pankararu, said they lack a permanent base, limiting gatherings and workshops. She added more youths study in São Paulo, yet many still work in construction or domestic roles, with few university graduates.

Source: Globo.com